1
|
Zarei M, Jonveaux J, Razvi A, Jahn M. Integrated strategy for deep profiling of host cell proteins in downstream processing of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies: Novel approach to isolate and digest host cell proteins. Eur J Pharm Biopharm 2024; 201:114369. [PMID: 38885909 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejpb.2024.114369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2024] [Revised: 06/12/2024] [Accepted: 06/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024]
Abstract
Host cell proteins (HCPs) are process-related impurities generated during the production of biopharmaceuticals, which may contaminate the final product unless they are efficiently removed. Due to their potential impact on product safety, quality and efficacy, regulatory authorities require removal of HCPs during processing down to trace amounts in final manufactured biopharmaceuticals. The current standard method for detecting HCPs is enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), which should reveal the total amount of HCPs. A necessary orthogonal technique to get more granular information on HCPs is obtained by application of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) techniques that permit identification and quantification of individual HCPs. However, differences in sample preparation methods and MS acquisition techniques have led to discrepancies in detected HCPs between studies, which may compromise product safety, quality and efficacy. To address this issue, we have developed a novel and reproducible workflow for isolation, digestion, and mass spectrometry detection of HCPs that is applicable to downstream process characterization of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). This article describes a rapid and efficient workflow for the isolation, digestion and identification of HCPs. For the first time, Fc-receptor (FcγRIIIa) affinity chromatography is employed to isolate the HCP fraction from the mAb. Next, the HCPs are precipitated with acetone and digested using a newly developed "single-pot" method that improves digestion performance and prevents sample loss of problematic low-abundant HCPs. The new HCP isolation method outperforms protein A affinity chromatography for monitoring problematic HCPs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mostafa Zarei
- Lonza AG, Drug Product Services, Hochbergerstrasse 60G, CH-4057 Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Jérôme Jonveaux
- Lonza AG, Drug Product Services, Hochbergerstrasse 60G, CH-4057 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Abbas Razvi
- Lonza AG, Drug Product Services, Hochbergerstrasse 60G, CH-4057 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Michael Jahn
- Lonza AG, Drug Product Services, Hochbergerstrasse 60G, CH-4057 Basel, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Maier M, Schneider S, Weiss L, Fischer S, Lakatos D, Studts J, Franzreb M. Tailoring polishing steps for effective removal of polysorbate-degrading host cell proteins in antibody purification. Biotechnol Bioeng 2024. [PMID: 38853584 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2024] [Revised: 05/27/2024] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/11/2024]
Abstract
Ensuring the quality and safety of biopharmaceutical products requires the effective separation of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) from host cell proteins (HCPs). A major challenge in this field is the enzymatic hydrolysis of polysorbates (PS) in drug products. This study addresses this issue by investigating the removal of polysorbate-degrading HCPs during the polishing steps of downstream purification, an area where knowledge about individual HCP behavior is still limited. We investigated the separation of different mAb formats from four individual polysorbate degrading hydrolases (CES1F, CES2C, LPLA2, and PAF-AH) using cation exchange (CEX) and mixed-mode chromatography (MMC) polishing steps. Our research identified a key challenge: The similar elution behavior of mAbs and HCPs during chromatographic separation. To investigate this phenomenon, we performed high-throughput binding screenings for recombinant polysorbate degrading hydrolases and representative mAb candidates on CEX and MMC chromatography resins. We then employed a three-step strategy that also served as a scale-up process, optimizing separation conditions and leading to the successful removal of specific HCPs while maintaining high mAb recovery rates (>96%). This strategy involved the use of surface response models and miniature columns for screening, followed by validation on larger columns using a chromatography system. Our results highlight the critical role of the inherent properties of mAbs for successful separation from HCPs. These results underscore the need to tailor the purification process to leverage the slight differences in binding behavior and elution profiles between mAbs and specific HCPs. This approach lays the foundation for developing more effective strategies for overcoming the challenge of enzymatic polysorbate degradation, paving the way for improved quality and safety in biopharmaceutical products.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Melanie Maier
- Bioprocess Development Biologicals, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach an der Riss, Germany
- Institute of Functional Interfaces, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Stefan Schneider
- Bioprocess Development Biologicals, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach an der Riss, Germany
- Institute of Applied Biotechnology, University of Applied Sciences Biberach, Biberach an der Riss, Germany
| | - Linus Weiss
- Bioprocess Development Biologicals, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach an der Riss, Germany
- Institute of Applied Biotechnology, University of Applied Sciences Biberach, Biberach an der Riss, Germany
| | - Simon Fischer
- Bioprocess Development Biologicals, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach an der Riss, Germany
| | - Daniel Lakatos
- Bioprocess Development Biologicals, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach an der Riss, Germany
| | - Joey Studts
- Bioprocess Development Biologicals, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach an der Riss, Germany
| | - Matthias Franzreb
- Institute of Functional Interfaces, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Šprager E, Möller J, Lin Y, Reisinger V, Bratkovič T, Lunder M, Vašl J, Krajnc A. Identification of Acyl-Protein Thioesterase-1 as a Polysorbate-Degrading Host Cell Protein in a Monoclonal Antibody Formulation Using Activity-Based Protein Profiling. J Pharm Sci 2024:S0022-3549(24)00185-0. [PMID: 38772451 DOI: 10.1016/j.xphs.2024.05.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2024] [Revised: 05/13/2024] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024]
Abstract
Polysorbate (PS) degradation in monoclonal antibody (mAb) formulations poses a significant challenge in the biopharmaceutical industry. PS maintains protein stability during drug product's shelf life but is vulnerable to breakdown by low-abundance residual host cell proteins (HCPs), particularly hydrolytic enzymes such as lipases and esterases. In this study, we used activity-based protein profiling (ABPP) coupled with mass spectrometry to identify acyl-protein thioesterase-1 (APT-1) as a polysorbate-degrading HCP in one case of mAb formulation with stability problems. We validated the role of APT1 by matching the polysorbate degradation fingerprint in the mAb formulation with that of a recombinant APT1 protein. Furthermore, we found an agreement between APT1 levels and PS degradation rates in the mAb formulation, and we successfully halted PS degradation using APT1-specific inhibitors ML348 and ML211. APT1 was found to co-purify with a specific mAb via hitchhiking mechanism. Our work provides a streamlined approach to identifying critical HCPs in PS degradation, supporting quality-by-design principles in pharmaceutical development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ernest Šprager
- University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ljubljana, Slovenia; Novartis Technical Research & Development, Biologics Technical Development Mengeš, Novartis Pharmaceutical Manufacturing LLC, Slovenia
| | - Jens Möller
- Novartis Technical Research & Development, Analytical Characterization, Novartis Pharmaceutical Manufacturing GmbH, Kundl, Austria
| | - Yuhsien Lin
- Novartis Technical Research & Development, Analytical Characterization, Novartis Pharmaceutical Manufacturing GmbH, Kundl, Austria
| | - Veronika Reisinger
- Novartis Technical Research & Development, Analytical Characterization, Novartis Pharmaceutical Manufacturing GmbH, Kundl, Austria
| | - Tomaž Bratkovič
- University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Mojca Lunder
- University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Jožica Vašl
- Novartis Technical Research & Development, Biologics Technical Development Mengeš, Novartis Pharmaceutical Manufacturing LLC, Slovenia
| | - Aleksander Krajnc
- Novartis Technical Research & Development, Biologics Technical Development Mengeš, Novartis Pharmaceutical Manufacturing LLC, Slovenia.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Panikulam S, Hanke A, Kroener F, Karle A, Anderka O, Villiger TK, Lebesgue N. Host cell protein networks as a novel co-elution mechanism during protein A chromatography. Biotechnol Bioeng 2024; 121:1716-1728. [PMID: 38454640 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Revised: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 02/10/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
Host cell proteins (HCPs) are process-related impurities of therapeutic proteins produced in for example, Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. Protein A affinity chromatography is the initial capture step to purify monoclonal antibodies or Fc-based proteins and is most effective for HCP removal. Previously proposed mechanisms that contribute to co-purification of HCPs with the therapeutic protein are either HCP-drug association or leaching from chromatin heteroaggregates. In this study, we analyzed protein A eluates of 23 Fc-based proteins by LC-MS/MS to determine their HCP content. The analysis revealed a high degree of heterogeneity in the number of HCPs identified in the different protein A eluates. Among all identified HCPs, the majority co-eluted with less than three Fc-based proteins indicating a drug-specific co-purification for most HCPs. Only ten HCPs co-purified with over 50% of the 23 Fc-based proteins. A correlation analysis of HCPs identified across multiple protein A eluates revealed their co-elution as HCP groups. Functional annotation and protein interaction analysis confirmed that some HCP groups are associated with protein-protein interaction networks. Here, we propose an additional mechanism for HCP co-elution involving protein-protein interactions within functional networks. Our findings may help to guide cell line development and to refine downstream purification strategies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sherin Panikulam
- Institute of Pharma Technology, University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland, Muttenz, Switzerland
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Alexander Hanke
- Analytical Development and Characterization, Biopharmaceutical Product and Process Development, Technical Research and Development, Novartis Pharma AG, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Frieder Kroener
- Analytical Development and Characterization, Biopharmaceutical Product and Process Development, Technical Research and Development, Novartis Pharma AG, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Anette Karle
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Novartis Pharma AG, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Oliver Anderka
- Analytical Development and Characterization, Biopharmaceutical Product and Process Development, Technical Research and Development, Novartis Pharma AG, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Thomas K Villiger
- Institute of Pharma Technology, University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland, Muttenz, Switzerland
| | - Nicolas Lebesgue
- Analytical Development and Characterization, Biopharmaceutical Product and Process Development, Technical Research and Development, Novartis Pharma AG, Basel, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Oh YH, Becker ML, Mendola KM, Choe LH, Min L, Lee KH, Yigzaw Y, Seay A, Bill J, Li X, Roush DJ, Cramer SM, Menegatti S, Lenhoff AM. Factors affecting product association as a mechanism of host-cell protein persistence in bioprocessing. Biotechnol Bioeng 2024; 121:1284-1297. [PMID: 38240126 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/30/2023] [Indexed: 04/01/2024]
Abstract
Product association of host-cell proteins (HCPs) to monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) is widely regarded as a mechanism that can enable HCP persistence through multiple purification steps and even into the final drug substance. Discussion of this mechanism often implies that the existence or extent of persistence is directly related to the strength of binding but actual measurements of the binding affinity of such interactions remain sparse. Two separate avenues of investigation of HCP-mAb binding are reported here. One is the measurement of the affinity of binding of individual, commonly persistent Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) HCPs to each of a set of mAbs, and the other uses quantitative proteomic measurements to assess binding of HCPs in a null CHO harvested cell culture fluid (HCCF) to mAbs produced in the same cell line. The individual HCP measurements show that the binding affinities of individual HCPs to different mAbs can vary appreciably but are rarely very high, with only weak pH dependence. The measurements on the null HCCF allow estimation of individual HCP-mAb affinities; these are typically weaker than those seen in affinity measurements on isolated HCPs. Instead, the extent of binding appears correlated with the initial abundance of individual HCPs in the HCCF and the forms of the HCPs in the solution, i.e., whether HCPs are present as free molecules or as parts of large aggregates. Separate protein A chromatography experiments performed by feeding different fractions of a mAb-containing HCCF obtained by size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) showed clear differences in the number and identity of HCPs found in the protein A eluate. These results indicate a significant role for HCP-mAb association in determining HCP persistence through protein A chromatography, presumably through binding of HCP-mAb complexes to the resin. Overall, the results illustrate the importance of considering more fully the biophysical context of HCP-product association in assessing the factors that may affect the phenomenon and determine its implications. Knowledge of the abundances and the forms of individual or aggregated HCPs in HCCF are particularly significant, emphasizing the integration of upstream and downstream bioprocessing and the importance of understanding the collective properties of HCPs in addition to just the biophysical properties of individual HCPs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Young Hoon Oh
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
| | - Matthew L Becker
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
| | - Kerri M Mendola
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
| | - Leila H Choe
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
| | - Lie Min
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
| | - Kelvin H Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
| | - Yinges Yigzaw
- Purification Process Development, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Alexander Seay
- Purification Process Development, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Jerome Bill
- Purification Process Development, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Xuanwen Li
- Analytical Research and Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey, USA
| | - David J Roush
- Biologics PR&D, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey, USA
| | - Steven M Cramer
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, USA
| | - Stefano Menegatti
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, 27606, North Carolina, USA
| | - Abraham M Lenhoff
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Carvalho SB, Profit L, Krishnan S, Gomes RA, Alexandre BM, Clavier S, Hoffman M, Brower K, Gomes-Alves P. SWATH-MS as a strategy for CHO host cell protein identification and quantification supporting the characterization of mAb purification platforms. J Biotechnol 2024; 384:1-11. [PMID: 38340900 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2024.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Revised: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
Host cell proteins (HCPs) are process-related impurities expressed by the host cells during biotherapeutics' manufacturing, such as monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Some challenging HCPs evade clearance during the downstream processing and can be co-purified with the molecule of interest, which may impact product stability, efficacy, and safety. Therefore, HCP content is a critical quality attribute to monitor and quantify across the bioprocess. Here we explored a mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics tool, the sequential window acquisition of all theoretical fragment-ion spectra (SWATH) strategy, as an orthogonal method to traditional ELISA. The SWATH workflow was applied for high-throughput individual HCP identification and quantification, supporting characterization of a mAb purification platform. The design space of HCP clearance of two polishing resins was evaluated through a design of experiment study. Absolute quantification of high-risk HCPs was achieved (reaching 1.8 and 4.2 ppm limits of quantification, for HCP A and B respectively) using HCP-specific synthetic heavy labeled peptide calibration curves. Profiling of other HCPs was also possible using an average calibration curve (using labeled peptides from different HCPs). The SWATH approach is a powerful tool for HCP assessment during bioprocess development enabling simultaneous monitoring and quantification of different individual HCPs and improving process understanding of their clearance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sofia B Carvalho
- iBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Apartado 12, Oeiras 2780-901, Portugal; ITQB-NOVA, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. Da República, Oeiras 2780-157, Portugal
| | - Ludivine Profit
- Mammalian Platform, Global CMC Development, Sanofi R&D, Vitry-sur-Seine, France
| | - Sushmitha Krishnan
- Mammalian Platform, Global CMC Development, Sanofi R&D, Framingham, MA, USA
| | - Ricardo A Gomes
- iBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Apartado 12, Oeiras 2780-901, Portugal; ITQB-NOVA, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. Da República, Oeiras 2780-157, Portugal
| | - Bruno M Alexandre
- iBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Apartado 12, Oeiras 2780-901, Portugal; ITQB-NOVA, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. Da República, Oeiras 2780-157, Portugal
| | - Severine Clavier
- BioAnalytics, Global CMC Development, Sanofi R&D, Vitry-sur-Seine, France
| | - Michael Hoffman
- Mammalian Platform, Global CMC Development, Sanofi R&D, Framingham, MA, USA
| | - Kevin Brower
- Mammalian Platform, Global CMC Development, Sanofi R&D, Framingham, MA, USA.
| | - Patrícia Gomes-Alves
- iBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Apartado 12, Oeiras 2780-901, Portugal; ITQB-NOVA, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. Da República, Oeiras 2780-157, Portugal.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Ito T, Lutz H, Tan L, Wang B, Tan J, Patel M, Chen L, Tsunakawa Y, Park B, Banerjee S. Host cell proteins in monoclonal antibody processing: Control, detection, and removal. Biotechnol Prog 2024:e3448. [PMID: 38477405 DOI: 10.1002/btpr.3448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024]
Abstract
Host cell proteins (HCPs) are process-related impurities in a therapeutic protein expressed using cell culture technology. This review presents biopharmaceutical industry trends in terms of both HCPs in the bioprocessing of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and the capabilities for HCP clearance by downstream unit operations. A comprehensive assessment of currently implemented and emerging technologies in the manufacturing processes with extensive references was performed. Meta-analyses of published downstream data were conducted to identify trends. Improved analytical methods and understanding of "high-risk" HCPs lead to more robust manufacturing processes and higher-quality therapeutics. The trend of higher cell density cultures leads to both higher mAb expression and higher HCP levels. However, HCP levels can be significantly reduced with improvements in operations, resulting in similar concentrations of approx. 10 ppm HCPs. There are no differences in the performance of HCP clearance between recent enhanced downstream operations and traditional batch processing. This review includes best practices for developing improved processes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Takao Ito
- Life Science, Process Solutions, Merck Ltd. (An Affiliate of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany), Tokyo, Japan
| | - Herb Lutz
- Independent Consultant, Sudbury, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Lihan Tan
- Life Science Services, Sigma-Aldrich Pte Ltd, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Bin Wang
- Life Science, Process Solutions, Merck Chemicals (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. (An Affiliate of Merck KGaA Darmstadt, Germany), Shanghai, China
| | - Janice Tan
- Life Science, Process Solutions, Merck Pte Ltd. (An Affiliate of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany), Singapore
| | - Masum Patel
- Life Science, Process Solutions, Merck Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd. (An Affiliate of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany), Bangalore, India
| | - Lance Chen
- Life Science, Process Solutions, Merck Pte Ltd. (An Affiliate of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany), Singapore
| | - Yuki Tsunakawa
- Life Science, Process Solutions, Merck Ltd. (An Affiliate of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany), Tokyo, Japan
| | - Byunghyun Park
- Life Science, Process Solutions, Merck Ltd. (An Affiliate of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany), Seoul, South Korea
| | - Subhasis Banerjee
- Life Science, Process Solutions, Merck Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd. (An Affiliate of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany), Bangalore, India
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Tian Y, Wang X, Shao D, Zhao W, Chen R, Huang Q. Establishment and evaluation of detection methods for process-specific residual host cell protein and residual host cell DNA in biological preparation. Cell Biochem Funct 2024; 42:e3986. [PMID: 38504442 DOI: 10.1002/cbf.3986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2023] [Revised: 03/08/2024] [Accepted: 03/10/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
To establish accurate detection methods of process-specific Escherichia coli residual host cell protein (HCP) and residual host cell DNA (rcDNA) in recombinant biological preparations. Taking the purification process of GLP expressed by E. coli as a specific-process model, the HCP of empty E. coli was intercepted to immunize mice and rabbits. Using IgG from immunized rabbits as the coating antibody and mouse immune serum as the second sandwich antibody, a process-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for E. coli HCP was established. Targeting the 16S gene of E. coli, ddPCR was used to obtain the absolute copies of rcDNA in samples. Non-process-specific commercial ELISA kit and the process-specific ELISA established in this study were used to detect the HCP in GLP preparation. About 62% of HCPs, which should be process-specific HCPs, could not be detected by the non-process-specific commercial ELISA kit. The sensitivity of established ELISA can reach 338 pg/mL. The rcDNA could be absolutely quantitated by ddPCR, for the copies of rcDNA in three multiple diluted samples showed a reduced gradient. While the copies of rcDNA in three multiple diluted samples could not be distinguished by the qPCR. Process-specific ELISA has high sensitivity in detecting process-specific E. coli HCP. The absolutely quantitative ddPCR has much higher accuracy than the relatively quantitative qPCR, it is a nucleic acid quantitative method that is expected to replace qPCR in the future.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yixiao Tian
- Key Laboratory for Space Biosciences and Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Xinyue Wang
- Key Laboratory for Space Biosciences and Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Dongyan Shao
- Key Laboratory for Space Biosciences and Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Wen Zhao
- Key Laboratory for Space Biosciences and Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Renan Chen
- Shaanxi Province Cancer Hospital, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Qingsheng Huang
- Key Laboratory for Space Biosciences and Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Dehghani A, Binder F, Zorn M, Feigler A, Fischer KI, Felix MN, Happersberger P, Reisinger B. Investigating pH Effects on Enzymes Catalyzing Polysorbate Degradation by Activity-Based Protein Profiling. J Pharm Sci 2024; 113:744-753. [PMID: 37758159 DOI: 10.1016/j.xphs.2023.09.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
Host cell proteins (HCPs) are process-related impurities that can negatively impact the quality of biotherapeutics. Some HCPs possess enzymatic activity and can affect the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) or excipients such as polysorbates (PS). PSs are a class of non-ionic surfactants commonly used as excipients in biotherapeutics to enhance the stability of APIs. The enzyme activity of certain HCPs can result in the degradation of PSs, leading to particle formation and decreased shelf life of biotherapeutics. Identifying and characterizing these HCPs is therefore crucial. This study employed the Activity-Based Protein Profiling (ABPP) technique to investigate the effect of pH on the activity of HCPs that have the potential to degrade polysorbates. Two probes were utilized: the commercially available fluorophosphonate (FP)-Desthiobiotin probe and a probe based on the antiobesity drug, Orlistat. Over 50 HCPs were identified, showing a strong dependence on pH-milieu regarding their enzyme activity. These findings underscore the importance of accounting for pH variations in the ABPP method and other investigations of HCP activity. Notably, the Orlistat-based probe (OBP) enabled us to investigate the enzymatic activity of a wider range of HCPs, emphasizing the advantage of using more than one probe for ABPP. Finally, this study led to the discovery of previously unreported active enzymes, including three HCPs from the carboxylesterase enzyme family.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alireza Dehghani
- Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Birkendorfer Strasse 65, Biberach D-88397, Germany
| | - Florian Binder
- Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Birkendorfer Strasse 65, Biberach D-88397, Germany
| | - Michael Zorn
- Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Birkendorfer Strasse 65, Biberach D-88397, Germany
| | - Andreas Feigler
- Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Birkendorfer Strasse 65, Biberach D-88397, Germany
| | - Kathrin Inge Fischer
- Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Birkendorfer Strasse 65, Biberach D-88397, Germany
| | - Marius Nicolaus Felix
- Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Birkendorfer Strasse 65, Biberach D-88397, Germany
| | - Peter Happersberger
- Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Birkendorfer Strasse 65, Biberach D-88397, Germany
| | - Bernd Reisinger
- Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Birkendorfer Strasse 65, Biberach D-88397, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Zhang S, Xiao H, Li N. Analysis of Host Cell Proteins in AAV Products with ProteoMiner Protein Enrichment Technology. Anal Chem 2024; 96:1890-1897. [PMID: 38262068 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c03884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
Despite substantial efforts to detect host cell proteins (HCPs) in antibody drugs, information regarding HCPs in gene therapy products remains limited and has not been widely integrated into the host cell engineering or purification processes. Most methods that have successfully detected HCPs in antibody drugs are not applicable to gene therapy products, except for the ProteoMiner enrichment method. Here, we demonstrate that ProteoMiner beads effectively enrich HCPs in adeno-associated virus (AAV) products and simultaneously remove the detergent Pluronic F-68 without a loss of low-abundance HCPs. Following optimization of this technique, there was up to a 34-fold increase in the enrichment of HCPs compared to direct digestion. Moreover, the detection limit was significantly lowered with the ability to detect HCPs at levels as low as 0.1 ng/mL after ProteoMiner treatment. This approach holds promise in AAV HCP analysis and may be adaptable to other gene therapy products. The findings from this study provide valuable insights into HCPs in AAV products and may facilitate process development and host cell line optimization. The high sensitivity of this approach also facilitates detection of critical low-abundance HCPs, thereby contributing to risk assessment of their impact on the safety and quality of the AAV-based gene therapy products.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sisi Zhang
- Analytical Chemistry, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, New York 10591-6706, United States
| | - Hui Xiao
- Analytical Chemistry, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, New York 10591-6706, United States
| | - Ning Li
- Analytical Chemistry, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, New York 10591-6706, United States
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Ou TS, Sun YS, Lai CC, Chen WS, Tsai HC, Chen MH, Chou CT, Chang FP, Peng YC, Tsai CC, Liao HT, Tsai CY. Immune-mediated diseases after vaccinations with AZD1222, BNT-162b2, &/or mRNA-1273: An observational investigation of 78 patients. Int Immunopharmacol 2024; 127:111455. [PMID: 38157699 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2023.111455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Immune-mediated diseases (IMDs) after nucleic acid-based vaccines have been sporadically reported since their introduction during the worldwide COVID-19 crisis. Confirming their cause-effect association remains challenging. We analysed the effects of AZD1222 (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19), BNT-162b2, and/or mRNA-1273 on the development &/or deterioration of IMDs in terms of the time of clinical onsets of IMDs after exposure to these vaccines. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed 78 in-patients in Taipei Veterans General Hospital, who presented with IMDs within 120 days after receiving AZD1222, BNT-162b2, &/or mRNA-1273 vaccinations in Taiwan from May 2021 to April 2022. The duration from inoculation to development of IMD was analysed by two-tailed Kolmogorov-Smirnov (K-S) test for goodness of fit. RESULTS The average time to new IMDs or flare-up of the diseases following vaccinations was 36 ± 26 days for all 91 events in these 78 patients. The onset time of IMDs after vaccinations was not haphazard as analysed by two-tailed K-S test for overall 91 events (40 new and 51 deteriorating episodes, p < 0.001). The IMDs presenting as non-connective tissue diseases (non-CTDs) have a shorter duration of incubation after vaccinations than those of CTDs (<14.7 days, 95 % confidence interval [CI], 3.0 to 26.4, p = 0.014). Furthermore, systemic vasculitis and type 2 inflammatory diseases were observed exclusively in those receiving AZD1222. CONCLUSION AZD1222, BNT-162b2, or mRNA-1273 influence the activities of IMDs in ways yet to be explored. High index of suspicion to IMDs after nucleic acid-based vaccine inoculation against COVID-19 may be important for primary care physicians.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tao-Shen Ou
- Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Syuan Sun
- Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Faculty of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chien-Chih Lai
- Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Faculty of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Wei-Sheng Chen
- Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Faculty of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Hung-Cheng Tsai
- Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Faculty of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Han Chen
- Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Faculty of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chung-Tei Chou
- Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Faculty of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Fu-Pang Chang
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Ching Peng
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Chin Tsai
- Department of Pathology, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Hsien-Tzung Liao
- Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Faculty of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan; Division of Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
| | - Chang-Youh Tsai
- Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Division of Immunology & Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Fu Jen Catholic University Hospital and College of Medicine, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City, Taiwan.
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Weiß L, Schmieder-Todtenhaupt V, Haemmerling F, Lakatos D, Schulz P, Fischer S. Multi-lipase gene knockdown in Chinese hamster ovary cells using artificial microRNAs to reduce host cell protein mediated polysorbate degradation. Biotechnol Bioeng 2024; 121:329-340. [PMID: 37743807 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2023] [Revised: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
A large number of companies observe polysorbate (PS) degradation and associated (sub-)visible particle formation in biological drug formulations, which compromise the stability of the drug product, ultimately posing a risk toward delivering innovative medicines to patients. The main culprits of PS degradation are hydrolytic host cell proteins (HCPs) originating from the production cell lines, which are mostly Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell derived. Here, a small portion of particularly difficult-to-remove HCPs-mainly lipases-cause hydrolytic cleavage of PS resulting in the accumulation of free fatty acid aggregates/particles. One possible mitigation strategy is the removal of such critical HCPs in the production cell line. Multigene regulation can be achieved via microRNAs (miRNAs) thereby serving as a smart tool to reduce the expression of different target genes using a single miRNA. To enable a tailored gene regulation of multiple specific target lipases self-designed and non-naturally occurring artificial miRNAs (amiRNA) can be designed. Based on micro-conserved regions in the mRNA sequence of two sets of target HCPs, we provide a proof-of-concept for a simultaneous multi-lipase knockdown in CHO cells using single amiRNAs. By this, we were not only able to reduce PS degradation but laid the foundation to expand this tool to other areas of cell line phenotype engineering.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Linus Weiß
- Cell Line Development, Bioprocess Development Biologicals, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach an der Riss, Germany
| | - Valerie Schmieder-Todtenhaupt
- Cell Line Development, Bioprocess Development Biologicals, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach an der Riss, Germany
| | - Frank Haemmerling
- Early Stage Pharmaceutical Development, Pharmaceutical Development Biologicals, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach an der Riss, Germany
| | - Daniel Lakatos
- Late Stage DSP, Bioprocess Development Biologicals, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach an der Riss, Germany
| | - Patrick Schulz
- Cell Line Development, Bioprocess Development Biologicals, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach an der Riss, Germany
| | - Simon Fischer
- Cell Line Development, Bioprocess Development Biologicals, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach an der Riss, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Zhao Y, Li H, Fan Z, Wang T. Effect of Host Cell Protein on Chinese Hamster Ovary Recombinant Protein Production and its Removal Strategies: A Mini Review. Curr Pharm Biotechnol 2024; 25:665-675. [PMID: 37594091 DOI: 10.2174/1389201024666230818112633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Revised: 07/01/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023]
Abstract
Chinese hamster ovary cells are the main expression system for recombinant therapeutic proteins. During the production of these proteins, certain host cell proteins are secreted, broken down, and released by host cells in the culture along with the proteins of interest. These host cell proteins are often difficult to remove during the downstream purification process, and thus affect the quality, safety, and effectiveness of recombinant protein biopharmaceutical products and increase the production cost of recombinant therapeutic proteins. Therefore, host cell protein production must be reduced as much as possible during the production process and eliminated during purification. This article reviews the harm caused by host cell proteins in the production of recombinant protein drugs using Chinese hamster ovary cell, factors affecting host cell proteins, the monitoring and identification of these proteins, and methods to reduce their type and quantity in the final product.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yaru Zhao
- Institutes of Health Central Plains, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
- Henan International Joint Laboratory of Recombinant Pharmaceutical Protein Expression System, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - He Li
- Institutes of Health Central Plains, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
- Henan International Joint Laboratory of Recombinant Pharmaceutical Protein Expression System, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Zhenlin Fan
- Institutes of Health Central Plains, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
- Henan International Joint Laboratory of Recombinant Pharmaceutical Protein Expression System, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Tianyun Wang
- Henan International Joint Laboratory of Recombinant Pharmaceutical Protein Expression System, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Oh YH, Mendola KM, Choe LH, Min L, Lavoie AR, Sripada SA, Williams TI, Lee KH, Yigzaw Y, Seay A, Bill J, Li X, Roush DJ, Cramer SM, Menegatti S, Lenhoff AM. Identification and characterization of CHO host-cell proteins in monoclonal antibody bioprocessing. Biotechnol Bioeng 2024; 121:291-305. [PMID: 37877536 PMCID: PMC10842603 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Revised: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023]
Abstract
Host-cell proteins (HCPs) are the foremost class of process-related impurities to be controlled and removed in downstream processing steps in monoclonal antibody (mAb) manufacturing. However, some HCPs may evade clearance in multiple purification steps and reach the final drug product, potentially threatening drug stability and patient safety. This study extends prior work on HCP characterization and persistence in mAb process streams by using mass spectrometry (MS)-based methods to track HCPs through downstream processing steps for seven mAbs that were generated by five different cell lines. The results show considerable variability in HCP identities in the processing steps but extensive commonality in the identities and quantities of the most abundant HCPs in the harvests for different processes. Analysis of HCP abundance in the harvests shows a likely relationship between abundance and the reproducibility of quantification measurements and suggests that some groups of HCPs may hinder the characterization. Quantitative monitoring of HCPs persisting through purification steps coupled with the findings from the harvest analysis suggest that multiple factors, including HCP abundance and mAb-HCP interactions, can contribute to the persistence of individual HCPs and the identification of groups of common, persistent HCPs in mAb manufacturing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Young Hoon Oh
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
| | - Kerri M Mendola
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
| | - Leila H Choe
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
| | - Lie Min
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
| | - Ashton R Lavoie
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Sobhana A Sripada
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Taufika Islam Williams
- Molecular Education, Technology, and Research Innovation Center (METRIC), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Kelvin H Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
| | - Yinges Yigzaw
- Purification Process Development, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Alexander Seay
- Purification Process Development, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Jerome Bill
- Purification Process Development, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Xuanwen Li
- Analytical Research and Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey, USA
| | - David J Roush
- BPR&D, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey, USA
| | - Steven M Cramer
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, USA
| | - Stefano Menegatti
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Abraham M Lenhoff
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Wachter S, Angevin T, Bubna N, Tan A, Cichy A, Brown D, Wolfe LS, Sappington R, Lilla E, Berry L, Grismer D, Orth C, Blanusa M, Mostafa S, Kaufmann H, Felderer K. Application of platform process development approaches to the manufacturing of Mabcalin™ bispecifics. J Biotechnol 2023; 377:13-22. [PMID: 37820750 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2023.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
Bispecific biotherapeutics offer potent and highly specific treatment options in oncology and immuno-oncology. However, many bispecific formats are prone to high levels of aggregation and instability, leading to prolonged development timelines, inefficient manufacturing, and high costs. The novel class of Mabcalin™ molecules consist of Anticalin® proteins fused to an IgG and are currently being evaluated in pre-clinical and clinical studies. Here, we describe a robust high-yield manufacturing platform for these therapeutic fusion proteins providing data up to commercially relevant scales. A platform upstream process was established for one of the Mabcalin bispecifics and then applied to other clinically relevant drug candidates with different IgG target specificities. Process performance was compared in 3 L bioreactors and production was scaled-up to up to 1000 L for confirmation. The Mabcalin proteins' structural and biophysical similarities enabled a downstream platform approach consisting of initial protein A capture, viral inactivation, mixed-mode anion exchange polishing, second polishing by cation exchange or hydrophobic interaction chromatography, viral filtration, buffer exchange and concentration by ultrafiltration/diafiltration. All three processes met their target specifications and achieved comparable clearance of impurities and product yields across scales. The described platform approach provides a fast and economic path to process confirmation and is well comparable to classical monoclonal antibody approaches in terms of costs and time to clinic.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie Wachter
- Pieris Pharmaceuticals GmbH, Zeppelinstr. 3, Hallbergmoos 85399 Germany.
| | - Thibaut Angevin
- Pieris Pharmaceuticals GmbH, Zeppelinstr. 3, Hallbergmoos 85399 Germany
| | - Niket Bubna
- KBI Biopharma, 4117 Emperor Blvd, Suite 200, Durham, NC 27703, USA
| | - Adelene Tan
- Pieris Pharmaceuticals GmbH, Zeppelinstr. 3, Hallbergmoos 85399 Germany
| | - Adam Cichy
- Pieris Pharmaceuticals GmbH, Zeppelinstr. 3, Hallbergmoos 85399 Germany
| | - David Brown
- KBI Biopharma, 4117 Emperor Blvd, Suite 200, Durham, NC 27703, USA
| | - Leslie S Wolfe
- KBI Biopharma, 4117 Emperor Blvd, Suite 200, Durham, NC 27703, USA
| | - Ryan Sappington
- KBI Biopharma, 4117 Emperor Blvd, Suite 200, Durham, NC 27703, USA
| | - Edward Lilla
- KBI Biopharma, 4117 Emperor Blvd, Suite 200, Durham, NC 27703, USA
| | - Luke Berry
- KBI Biopharma, 4117 Emperor Blvd, Suite 200, Durham, NC 27703, USA
| | - Dane Grismer
- KBI Biopharma, 4117 Emperor Blvd, Suite 200, Durham, NC 27703, USA
| | - Christian Orth
- Pieris Pharmaceuticals GmbH, Zeppelinstr. 3, Hallbergmoos 85399 Germany
| | - Milan Blanusa
- Pieris Pharmaceuticals GmbH, Zeppelinstr. 3, Hallbergmoos 85399 Germany
| | - Sigma Mostafa
- KBI Biopharma, 4117 Emperor Blvd, Suite 200, Durham, NC 27703, USA
| | - Hitto Kaufmann
- Pieris Pharmaceuticals GmbH, Zeppelinstr. 3, Hallbergmoos 85399 Germany
| | - Karin Felderer
- Pieris Pharmaceuticals GmbH, Zeppelinstr. 3, Hallbergmoos 85399 Germany
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Vitharana S, Stillahn JM, Katayama DS, Henry CS, Manning MC. Application of Formulation Principles to Stability Issues Encountered During Processing, Manufacturing, and Storage of Drug Substance and Drug Product Protein Therapeutics. J Pharm Sci 2023; 112:2724-2751. [PMID: 37572779 DOI: 10.1016/j.xphs.2023.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/14/2023]
Abstract
The field of formulation and stabilization of protein therapeutics has become rather extensive. However, most of the focus has been on stabilization of the final drug product. Yet, proteins experience stress and degradation through the manufacturing process, starting with fermentaition. This review describes how formulation principles can be applied to stabilize biopharmaceutical proteins during bioprocessing and manufacturing, considering each unit operation involved in prepration of the drug substance. In addition, the impact of the container on stabilty is discussed as well.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Joshua M Stillahn
- Legacy BioDesign LLC, Johnstown, CO 80534, USA; Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | | | - Charles S Henry
- Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Mark Cornell Manning
- Legacy BioDesign LLC, Johnstown, CO 80534, USA; Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
De Groot AS, Roberts BJ, Mattei A, Lelias S, Boyle C, Martin WD. Immunogenicity risk assessment of synthetic peptide drugs and their impurities. Drug Discov Today 2023; 28:103714. [PMID: 37467878 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2023.103714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Revised: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023]
Abstract
Peptide drugs play an important part in medicine owing to their many therapeutic applications. Of the 80 peptide drugs approved for use in humans, at least five are now off-patent and are consequently being developed as generic alternatives to the originator products. To accelerate access to generic products, the FDA has proposed new regulatory pathways that do not require direct comparisons of generics to originators in clinical trials. The 'Abbreviated New Drug Application' (ANDA) pathway recommends that sponsors provide information on any new impurities in the generic drug, compared with the originator product, because the impurities can have potential to elicit unwanted immune responses owing to the introduction of T-cell epitopes. This review describes how peptide drug impurities can elicit unexpected immunogenicity and describes a framework for performing immunogenicity risk assessment of all types of bioactive peptide products. Although this report primarily focuses on generic peptides and their impurities, the approach might also be of interest for developers of novel peptide drugs who are preparing their products for an initial regulatory review.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anne S De Groot
- EpiVax, 188 Valley Street, Suite 424, Providence, RI, USA; University of Georgia, Center for Vaccines and Immunology, Athens, GA USA.
| | | | - Aimee Mattei
- EpiVax, 188 Valley Street, Suite 424, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Sandra Lelias
- EpiVax, 188 Valley Street, Suite 424, Providence, RI, USA
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
18
|
Li X. Recent applications of quantitative mass spectrometry in biopharmaceutical process development and manufacturing. J Pharm Biomed Anal 2023; 234:115581. [PMID: 37494866 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2023.115581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
Biopharmaceutical products have seen rapid growth over the past few decades and continue to dominate the global pharmaceutical market. Aligning with the quality by design (QbD) framework and realization, recent advances in liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) instrumentation and related techniques have enhanced biopharmaceutical characterization capabilities and have supported an increased development of biopharmaceutical products. Beyond its routine qualitative characterization, the quantitative feature of LC-MS has unique applications in biopharmaceutical process development and manufacturing. This review describes the recent applications and implications of the advancement of quantitative MS methods in biopharmaceutical process development, and characterization of biopharmaceutical product, product-related variants, and process-related impurities. We also provide insights on the emerging applications of quantitative MS in the lifecycle of biopharmaceutical product development including quality control in the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) environment and process analytical technology (PAT) practices during process development and manufacturing. Through collaboration with instrument and software vendors and regulatory agencies, we envision broader adoption of phase-appropriate quantitative MS-based methods for the analysis of biopharmaceutical products, which in turn has the potential to enable manufacture of higher quality products for patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xuanwen Li
- Analytical Research and Development, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., 126 E. Lincoln Avenue, Rahway, NJ 07065, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Haltaufderhyde K, Roberts BJ, Khan S, Terry F, Boyle CM, McAllister M, Martin W, Rosenberg A, De Groot AS. Immunoinformatic Risk Assessment of Host Cell Proteins During Process Development for Biologic Therapeutics. AAPS J 2023; 25:87. [PMID: 37697150 DOI: 10.1208/s12248-023-00852-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/19/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The identification and removal of host cell proteins (HCPs) from biologic products is a critical step in drug development. Despite recent improvements to purification processes, biologics such as monoclonal antibodies, enzyme replacement therapies, and vaccines that are manufactured in a range of cell lines and purified using diverse processes may contain HCP impurities, making it necessary for developers to identify and quantify impurities during process development for each drug product. HCPs that contain sequences that are less conserved with human homologs may be more immunogenic than those that are more conserved. We have developed a computational tool, ISPRI-HCP, that estimates the immunogenic potential of HCP sequences by evaluating and quantifying T cell epitope density and relative conservation with similar T cell epitopes in the human proteome. Here we describe several case studies that support the use of this method for classifying candidate HCP impurities according to their immunogenicity risk.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Brian J Roberts
- EpiVax, Inc, 188 Valley St #424, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Sundos Khan
- EpiVax, Inc, 188 Valley St #424, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Frances Terry
- EpiVax, Inc, 188 Valley St #424, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | | | | | - William Martin
- EpiVax, Inc, 188 Valley St #424, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Amy Rosenberg
- EpiVax, Inc, 188 Valley St #424, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Anne S De Groot
- EpiVax, Inc, 188 Valley St #424, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.
- Center for Vaccines and Immunology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Disela R, Bussy OL, Geldhof G, Pabst M, Ottens M. Characterisation of the E. coli HMS174 and BLR host cell proteome to guide purification process development. Biotechnol J 2023; 18:e2300068. [PMID: 37208824 DOI: 10.1002/biot.202300068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2023] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Mass-spectrometry-based proteomics is increasingly employed to monitor purification processes or to detect critical host cell proteins in the final drug substance. This approach is inherently unbiased and can be used to identify individual host cell proteins without prior knowledge. In process development for the purification of new biopharmaceuticals, such as protein subunit vaccines, a broader knowledge of the host cell proteome could promote a more rational process design. Proteomics can establish qualitative and quantitative information on the complete host cell proteome before purification (i.e., protein abundances and physicochemical properties). Such information allows for a more rational design of the purification strategy and accelerates purification process development. In this study, we present an extensive proteomic characterisation of two E. coli host cell strains widely employed in academia and industry to produce therapeutic proteins, BLR and HMS174. The established database contains the observed abundance of each identified protein, information relating to their hydrophobicity, the isoelectric point, molecular weight, and toxicity. These physicochemical properties were plotted on proteome property maps to showcase the selection of suitable purification strategies. Furthermore, sequence alignment allowed integration of subunit information and occurrences of post-translational modifications from the well-studied E. coli K12 strain.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Roxana Disela
- Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
| | | | | | - Martin Pabst
- Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Marcel Ottens
- Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Buyel JF. Product safety aspects of plant molecular farming. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2023; 11:1238917. [PMID: 37614627 PMCID: PMC10442644 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1238917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Plant molecular farming (PMF) has been promoted since the 1990s as a rapid, cost-effective and (most of all) safe alternative to the cultivation of bacteria or animal cells for the production of biopharmaceutical proteins. Numerous plant species have been investigated for the production of a broad range of protein-based drug candidates. The inherent safety of these products is frequently highlighted as an advantage of PMF because plant viruses do not replicate in humans and vice versa. However, a more nuanced analysis of this principle is required when considering other pathogens because toxic compounds pose a risk even in the absence of replication. Similarly, it is necessary to assess the risks associated with the host system (e.g., the presence of toxic secondary metabolites) and the production approach (e.g., transient expression based on bacterial infiltration substantially increases the endotoxin load). This review considers the most relevant host systems in terms of their toxicity profile, including the presence of secondary metabolites, and the risks arising from the persistence of these substances after downstream processing and product purification. Similarly, we discuss a range of plant pathogens and disease vectors that can influence product safety, for example, due to the release of toxins. The ability of downstream unit operations to remove contaminants and process-related toxic impurities such as endotoxins is also addressed. This overview of plant-based production, focusing on product safety aspects, provides recommendations that will allow stakeholders to choose the most appropriate strategies for process development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J. F. Buyel
- Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering (IBSE), University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Beaumal C, Beck A, Hernandez-Alba O, Carapito C. Advanced mass spectrometry workflows for accurate quantification of trace-level host cell proteins in drug products: Benefits of FAIMS separation and gas-phase fractionation DIA. Proteomics 2023; 23:e2300172. [PMID: 37148167 DOI: 10.1002/pmic.202300172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAb) production relies on multiple purification steps before release as a drug product (DP). A few host cell proteins (HCPs) may co-purify with the mAb. Their monitoring is crucial due to the considerable risk they represent for mAb stability, integrity, and efficacy and their potential immunogenicity. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) commonly used for global HCP monitoring present limitations in terms of identification and quantification of individual HCPs. Therefore, liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) has emerged as a promising alternative. Challenging DP samples show an extreme dynamic range requiring high performing methods to detect and reliably quantify trace-level HCPs. Here, we investigated the benefits of adding high-field asymmetric ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS) separation and gas phase fractionation (GPF) prior to data independent acquisition (DIA). FAIMS LC-MS/MS analysis allowed the identification of 221 HCPs among which 158 were reliably quantified for a global amount of 880 ng/mg of NIST mAb Reference Material. Our methods have also been successfully applied to two FDA/EMA approved DPs and allowed digging deeper into the HCP landscape with the identification and quantification of a few tens of HCPs with sensitivity down to the sub-ng/mg of mAb level.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Corentin Beaumal
- Laboratoire de Spectrométrie de Masse BioOrganique, IPHC UMR 7178, CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
- Infrastructure Nationale de Protéomique ProFI - FR2048, Strasbourg, France
| | - Alain Beck
- IRPF, Centre d'Immunologie Pierre-Fabre (CIPF), Saint-Julien-en-Genevois, France
| | - Oscar Hernandez-Alba
- Laboratoire de Spectrométrie de Masse BioOrganique, IPHC UMR 7178, CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
- Infrastructure Nationale de Protéomique ProFI - FR2048, Strasbourg, France
| | - Christine Carapito
- Laboratoire de Spectrométrie de Masse BioOrganique, IPHC UMR 7178, CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
- Infrastructure Nationale de Protéomique ProFI - FR2048, Strasbourg, France
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Smith J, Strasser L, Guapo F, Milian SG, Snyder RO, Bones J. SP3-based host cell protein monitoring in AAV-based gene therapy products using LC-MS/MS. Eur J Pharm Biopharm 2023:S0939-6411(23)00172-8. [PMID: 37419424 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejpb.2023.06.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2023] [Revised: 06/10/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/09/2023]
Abstract
Residual host cell proteins (HCPs) represent a critical quality attribute of biotherapeutic drug products. Workflows enabling reliable HCP detection in monoclonal antibodies and recombinant proteins have been developed, which facilitated process optimization to improve product stability and safety and allowed setting of acceptance limits for HCP content. However, the detection of HCPs in gene therapy products such as adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors has been limited by methods and their reagents. Here, the use of SP3 sample preparation followed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis for HCP profiling in various AAV samples is reported. Suitability of the workflow is demonstrated and provided data constitutes an important reference for future work aiming towards a knowledge-driven improvement of manufacturing conditions and characterization of AAV vector products.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Josh Smith
- Characterisation and Comparability Laboratory, The National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training, Foster Avenue, Mount Merrion, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, A94 X099, Ireland
| | - Lisa Strasser
- Characterisation and Comparability Laboratory, The National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training, Foster Avenue, Mount Merrion, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, A94 X099, Ireland
| | - Felipe Guapo
- Characterisation and Comparability Laboratory, The National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training, Foster Avenue, Mount Merrion, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, A94 X099, Ireland
| | - Steven G Milian
- Patheon Viral Vector Services, 13859 Progress Blvd., Alachua, 32615, Florida, US
| | - Richard O Snyder
- Patheon Viral Vector Services, 13859 Progress Blvd., Alachua, 32615, Florida, US
| | - Jonathan Bones
- Characterisation and Comparability Laboratory, The National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training, Foster Avenue, Mount Merrion, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, A94 X099, Ireland; School of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, D04 V1W8, Ireland.
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Wu Z, Xu G, He W, Yu C, Huang W, Zheng S, Kang D, Xie MH, Cao X, Wang L, Wei K. Comparability strategy and demonstration for post-approval production cell line change of a bevacizumab biosimilar IBI305. Antib Ther 2023; 6:194-210. [PMID: 37680352 PMCID: PMC10481892 DOI: 10.1093/abt/tbad017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023] Open
Abstract
High-producing cell line could improve the affordability and availability of biotherapeutic products. A post-approval production cell line change, low-titer CHO-K1S to high-titer CHO-K1SV GS-KO, was performed for a China marketed bevacizumab biosimilar IBI305. Currently, there is no regulatory guideline specifically addressing the requirements for comparability study of post-approval cell line change, which is generally regarded as the most complex process change for biological products. Following the quality by design principle and risk assessment, an extensive analytical characterization and three-way comparison was performed by using a panel of advanced analytical methods. Orthogonal and state-of-the-art techniques including nuclear magnetic resonance and high-resolution mass spectrometry were applied to mitigate the potential uncertainties of higher-order structures and to exclude any new sequence variants, scrambled disulfide bonds, glycan moiety and undesired process-related impurities such as host cell proteins. Nonclinical and clinical pharmacokinetics (PK) studies were conducted subsequently to further confirm the comparability. The results demonstrated that the post-change IBI305 was analytically comparable to the pre-change one and similar to the reference product in physicochemical and biological properties, as well as the degradation behaviors in accelerated stability and forced degradation studies. The comparability was further confirmed by comparable PK, pharmacodynamics, toxicological and immunogenicity profiles of nonclinical and clinical studies. The comparability strategy presented here might extend to cell line changes of other post-approval biological products, and particularly set a precedent in China for post-approval cell line change of commercialized biosimilars.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhouyi Wu
- Center for Drug Evaluation, National Medical Products Administration, Beijing 100022, China
| | - Gangling Xu
- Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Health for Research on Quality and Standardization of Biotech Products, National Institutes for Food and Drug Control, Beijing 102629, China
| | - Wu He
- Center for Drug Evaluation, National Medical Products Administration, Beijing 100022, China
| | - Chuanfei Yu
- Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Health for Research on Quality and Standardization of Biotech Products, National Institutes for Food and Drug Control, Beijing 102629, China
| | - Wanqiu Huang
- Department of Analytical Science, Innovent Biologics, Inc., Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Shirui Zheng
- Department of Medical Science, Innovent Biologics, Inc., Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Dian Kang
- Department of Drug Discovery, Innovent Biologics, Inc., Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Michael H Xie
- Department of Analytical Science, Innovent Biologics, Inc., Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Xingjun Cao
- Department of Analytical Science, Innovent Biologics, Inc., Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Lan Wang
- Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Health for Research on Quality and Standardization of Biotech Products, National Institutes for Food and Drug Control, Beijing 102629, China
| | - Kaikun Wei
- Center for Drug Evaluation, National Medical Products Administration, Beijing 100022, China
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Herman CE, Min L, Choe LH, Maurer RW, Xu X, Ghose S, Lee KH, Lenhoff AM. Analytical characterization of host-cell-protein-rich aggregates in monoclonal antibody solutions. Biotechnol Prog 2023; 39:e3343. [PMID: 37020359 DOI: 10.1002/btpr.3343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Revised: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 04/07/2023]
Abstract
Host-cell proteins (HCPs) and high molecular weight (HMW) species have historically been treated as independent classes of impurities in the downstream processing of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), but recent indications suggest that they may be partially linked. We have explored this connection with a shotgun proteomic analysis of HMW impurities that were isolated from harvest cell culture fluid (HCCF) and protein A eluate using size-exclusion chromatography (SEC). As part of the proteomic analysis, a cross-digest study was performed in which samples were analyzed using both the standard and native digest techniques to enable a fair comparison between bioprocess pools. This comparison reveals that the HCP profiles of HCCF and protein A eluate overlap substantially more than previous work has suggested, because hundreds of HCPs are conserved in aggregates that may be up to ~50 nm in hydrodynamic radius and that persist through the protein A capture step. Quantitative SWATH proteomics suggests that the majority of the protein A eluate's HCP mass is found in such aggregates, and this is corroborated by ELISA measurements on SEC fractions. The SWATH data also show that intra-aggregate concentrations of individual HCPs are positively correlated between aggregates that were isolated from HCCF and protein A eluate, and species that have generally been considered difficult to remove tend to be more concentrated than their counterparts. These observations support prior hypotheses regarding aggregate-mediated HCP persistence through protein A chromatography and highlight the importance of this persistence mechanism.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chase E Herman
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, 19716, USA
| | - Lie Min
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, 19716, USA
| | - Leila H Choe
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, 19716, USA
| | - Ronald W Maurer
- Biologics Process Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Massachusetts, 01434, Devens, USA
| | - Xuankuo Xu
- Biologics Process Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Massachusetts, 01434, Devens, USA
| | - Sanchayita Ghose
- Biologics Process Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Massachusetts, 01434, Devens, USA
| | - Kelvin H Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, 19716, USA
| | - Abraham M Lenhoff
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, 19716, USA
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Zenin V, Tsedilin A, Yurkova M, Siniavin A, Fedorov A. Thermostable chaperone-based polypeptide biosynthesis: Enfuvirtide model product quality and protocol-related impurities. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0286752. [PMID: 37289764 PMCID: PMC10249821 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Large peptide biosynthesis is a valuable alternative to conventional chemical synthesis. Enfuvirtide, the largest therapeutic peptide used in HIV infection treatment, was synthesized in our thermostable chaperone-based peptide biosynthesis system and evaluated for peptide quality as well as the profile of process-related impurities. Host cell proteins (HCPs) and BrCN cleavage-modified peptides were evaluated by LC-MS in intermediate. Cleavage modifications during the reaction were assessed after LC-MS maps were aligned by simple in-house algorithm and formylation/oxidation levels were estimated. Circular dichroism spectra of the obtained enfuvirtide were compared to the those of the chemically- synthesized standard product. Final-product endotoxin and HCPs content were assessed resulting 1.06 EU/mg and 5.58 ppm respectively. Peptide therapeutic activity was measured using the MT-4 cells HIV infection-inhibition model. The biosynthetic peptide IC50 was 0.0453 μM while the standard one had 0.0180 μM. Non-acylated C-terminus was proposed as a cause of IC50 and CD spectra difference. Otherwise, the peptide has met all the requirements of the original chemically synthesized enfuvirtide in the cell-culture and in vivo experiments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir Zenin
- Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Andrey Tsedilin
- Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Maria Yurkova
- Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Andrey Siniavin
- Ivanovsky Institute of Virology, N.F. Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Alexey Fedorov
- Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russian Federation
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Herman CE, Min L, Choe LH, Maurer RW, Xu X, Ghose S, Lee KH, Lenhoff AM. Behavior of host-cell-protein-rich aggregates in antibody capture and polishing chromatography. J Chromatogr A 2023; 1702:464081. [PMID: 37244165 DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2023.464081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Revised: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Recent work has shown that aggregates in monoclonal antibody (mAb) solutions may be made up not just of mAb oligomers but can also harbor hundreds of host-cell proteins (HCPs), suggesting that aggregate persistence through downstream purification operations may be related to HCP clearance. We have examined this in a primary analysis of aggregate persistence through processing steps that are typically implemented for HCP reduction, demonstrating that the phenomenon is relevant to depth filtration, protein A chromatography and flow-through anion-exchange (AEX) polishing. Confocal laser scanning microscopy observations show that aggregates compete with the mAb to adsorb specifically in protein A chromatography and that this competitive interaction is integral to the efficacy of protein A washes. Column chromatography reveals that the protein A elution tail can have a relatively high concentration of aggregates, which corroborates analogous observations from recent HCP studies. Similar measurements in flow-through AEX chromatography show that relatively large aggregates that harbor HCPs and that persist into the protein A eluate can be retained to an extent that appears to depend primarily on the resin surface chemistry. The total aggregate mass fraction of both protein A eluate pools (∼ 2.4 - 3.6%) and AEX flow-through fractions (∼ 1.5 - 3.2%) correlates generally with HCP concentrations measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) as well as the number of HCPs that may be identified in proteomic analysis. This suggests that quantification of the aggregate mass fraction may serve as a convenient albeit imperfect surrogate for informing early process development decisions regarding HCP clearance strategies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chase E Herman
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Lie Min
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Leila H Choe
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Ronald W Maurer
- Biologics Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Devens, MA 01434, USA
| | - Xuankuo Xu
- Biologics Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Devens, MA 01434, USA
| | - Sanchayita Ghose
- Biologics Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Devens, MA 01434, USA
| | - Kelvin H Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Abraham M Lenhoff
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Glinšek K, Bozovičar K, Bratkovič T. CRISPR Technologies in Chinese Hamster Ovary Cell Line Engineering. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24098144. [PMID: 37175850 PMCID: PMC10179654 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24098144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2023] [Revised: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line is a well-established platform for the production of biopharmaceuticals due to its ability to express complex therapeutic proteins with human-like glycopatterns in high amounts. The advent of CRISPR technology has opened up new avenues for the engineering of CHO cell lines for improved protein production and enhanced product quality. This review summarizes recent advances in the application of CRISPR technology for CHO cell line engineering with a particular focus on glycosylation modulation, productivity enhancement, tackling adventitious agents, elimination of problematic host cell proteins, development of antibiotic-free selection systems, site-specific transgene integration, and CRISPR-mediated gene activation and repression. The review highlights the potential of CRISPR technology in CHO cell line genome editing and epigenetic engineering for the more efficient and cost-effective development of biopharmaceuticals while ensuring the safety and quality of the final product.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Katja Glinšek
- Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva 7, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Krištof Bozovičar
- Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva 7, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Tomaž Bratkovič
- Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva 7, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Ji Q, Sokolowska I, Cao R, Jiang Y, Mo J, Hu P. A highly sensitive and robust LC-MS platform for host cell protein characterization in biotherapeutics. Biologicals 2023; 82:101675. [PMID: 37028215 DOI: 10.1016/j.biologicals.2023.101675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Revised: 02/25/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 04/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Host cell proteins (HCPs) are a major class of process-related impurities that need to be closely monitored during the production of biotherapeutics. Mass spectrometry (MS) has emerged as a promising tool for HCP analysis due to its specificity for individual HCP's identification and quantitation. However, utilization of MS as a routine characterization tool is still limited due to the time-consuming procedures, non-standardized instrumentation and methodologies, and the limited sensitivity compared to the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). In this study, we introduced a sensitive (limit of detection (LOD) at 1-2 ppm) and robust HCP profiling platform method with suitable precision and accuracy that can be readily adopted to antibodies and other biotherapeutic modalities without the need for HCP enrichment. The NIST mAb and multiple in-house antibodies were analyzed, and results were benchmarked with other reported studies. In addition, a targeted analysis method with optimized sample preparation for absolute quantitation of lipases was developed and qualified with an LOD of 0.6 ppm and precision of <15%, which can be further improved to an LOD of 5 ppb by using the nano-flow LC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qinqin Ji
- Large Molecules Analytical Development, Pharmaceutical Development & Manufacturing Sciences, Janssen Research & Development, LLC, 200 Great Valley Parkway, Malvern, PA, 19355, USA.
| | - Izabela Sokolowska
- Large Molecules Analytical Development, Pharmaceutical Development & Manufacturing Sciences, Janssen Research & Development, LLC, 200 Great Valley Parkway, Malvern, PA, 19355, USA.
| | - Rui Cao
- Large Molecules Analytical Development, Pharmaceutical Development & Manufacturing Sciences, Janssen Research & Development, LLC, 200 Great Valley Parkway, Malvern, PA, 19355, USA.
| | - Yulei Jiang
- Large Molecules Analytical Development, Pharmaceutical Development & Manufacturing Sciences, Janssen Research & Development, LLC, 200 Great Valley Parkway, Malvern, PA, 19355, USA.
| | - Jingjie Mo
- Large Molecules Analytical Development, Pharmaceutical Development & Manufacturing Sciences, Janssen Research & Development, LLC, 200 Great Valley Parkway, Malvern, PA, 19355, USA.
| | - Ping Hu
- Large Molecules Analytical Development, Pharmaceutical Development & Manufacturing Sciences, Janssen Research & Development, LLC, 200 Great Valley Parkway, Malvern, PA, 19355, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Oh YH, Becker ML, Mendola KM, Choe LH, Min L, Lee KH, Yigzaw Y, Seay A, Bill J, Li X, Roush DJ, Cramer SM, Menegatti S, Lenhoff AM. Characterization and implications of host-cell protein aggregates in biopharmaceutical processing. Biotechnol Bioeng 2023; 120:1068-1080. [PMID: 36585356 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Revised: 12/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
In the production of biopharmaceuticals such as monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and vaccines, the residual amounts of host-cell proteins (HCPs) are among the critical quality attributes. In addition to overall HCP levels, individual HCPs may elude purification, potentially causing issues in product stability or patient safety. Such HCP persistence has been attributed mainly to biophysical interactions between individual HCPs and the product, resin media, or residual chromatin particles. Based on measurements on process streams from seven mAb processes, we have found that HCPs in aggregates, not necessarily chromatin-derived, may play a significant role in the persistence of many HCPs. Such aggregates may also hinder accurate detection of HCPs using existing proteomics methods. The findings also highlight that certain HCPs may be difficult to remove because of their functional complementarity to the product; specifically, chaperones and other proteins involved in the unfolded protein response (UPR) are disproportionately present in the aggregates. The methods and findings described here expand our understanding of the origins and potential behavior of HCPs in cell-based biopharmaceutical processes and may be instrumental in improving existing techniques for HCP detection and clearance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Young Hoon Oh
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
| | - Matthew L Becker
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
| | - Kerri M Mendola
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
| | - Leila H Choe
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
| | - Lie Min
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
| | - Kelvin H Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
| | - Yinges Yigzaw
- Purification Process Development, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Alexander Seay
- Purification Process Development, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Jerome Bill
- Purification Process Development, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Xuanwen Li
- Analytical Research and Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey, USA
| | - David J Roush
- Process Research and Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey, USA
| | - Steven M Cramer
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, USA
| | - Stefano Menegatti
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Abraham M Lenhoff
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Zhang S, Zhao B, Adaniya S, Xiao H, Li N. Ultrasensitive Quantification Method for Understanding Biologically Relevant Concentrations of Host Cell Proteins in Therapeutics. Anal Chem 2023; 95:6002-6008. [PMID: 36977129 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c00020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
Abstract
Certain host cell proteins (HCPs) in biotherapeutic drugs may be detrimental to drug product quality even when they are present at the subppm level. Therefore, an analytical method that can reliably quantify trace amounts of HCPs is desirable. This study demonstrates a novel strategy to quantify HCPs present at subppm levels with ProteoMiner enrichment coupled with limited digestion followed by targeted analysis with nano-liquid chromatography-parallel reaction monitoring. The method can achieve LLOQ values as low as 0.06 ppm, with an accuracy of 85%-111% of the theoretical value, and inter-run and intrarun precision within 12% and 25%, respectively. The approach was applied to the quantification of five high-risk HCPs in drug products. The results indicated that 2.5 ppm lysosomal acid lipase, 0.14 ppm liver carboxylesterase, 1.8 ppm palmitoyl-protein thioesterase 1, and 1 ppm cathepsin D affected the stability of drug products, whereas drug products could safely contain 1.5 ppm lipoprotein lipase, 0.1 ppm lysosomal acid lipase, or 0.3 ppm cathepsin D. In combination with lipase activity analysis, the accurate quantification of lipases/esterases in drug products enables better understanding and comparison of the enzymatic activity of polysorbate degradation from endogenous proteins.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sisi Zhang
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, New York 10591-6706, United States
| | - Bo Zhao
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, New York 10591-6706, United States
| | - Stephanie Adaniya
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, New York 10591-6706, United States
| | - Hui Xiao
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, New York 10591-6706, United States
| | - Ning Li
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, New York 10591-6706, United States
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Nguyen M, Zimmer A. A reflection on the improvement of Chinese Hamster ovary cell-based bioprocesses through advances in proteomic techniques. Biotechnol Adv 2023; 65:108141. [PMID: 37001570 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2023.108141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2022] [Revised: 03/05/2023] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
Abstract
Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells are the preferred mammalian host for the large-scale production of recombinant proteins in the biopharmaceutical industry. Research endeavors have been directed to the optimization of CHO-based bioprocesses to increase protein quantity and quality, often in an empirical manner. To provide a rationale for those achievements, a myriad of CHO proteomic studies has arisen in recent decades. This review gives an overview of significant advances in LC-MS-based proteomics and sheds light on CHO proteomic studies, with a particular focus on CHO cells with superior bioprocessing phenotypes (growth, viability, titer, productivity and cQA), that have exploited novel proteomic or sub-omic techniques. These proteomic findings expand the current knowledge and understanding about the underlying protein clusters, protein regulatory networks and biological pathways governing such phenotypic changes. The proteomic studies, highlighted herein, will help in the targeted modulation of these cell factories to the desired needs.
Collapse
|
33
|
Kaur R, Jain R, Budholiya N, Rathore AS. Long term culturing of CHO cells: phenotypic drift and quality attributes of the expressed monoclonal antibody. Biotechnol Lett 2023; 45:357-370. [PMID: 36707452 DOI: 10.1007/s10529-023-03346-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Revised: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Establishing cell lines with enhanced protein production requires a deep understanding of the cellular dynamics and cell line stability. The aim of the study is to investigate the impact of long term culturing (LTC) on cell morphology and altered cellular functions possibly leading to phenotypic drift, impacting product yield and quality. Study highlights the orthogonal cellular and analytical assay toolbox to define cell line stability for optimal culture performance and product quality. METHODS We investigated recombinant monoclonal antibody (mAb) expressing CHO cells for 60 passages or 180 generations and assessed the cell growth characteristics and morphology by confocal and scanning electron microscopy. Quality attributes of expressed mAb is accessed by performing charge variants, glycan, and host cell protein analysis. RESULTS We observed a 1.65-fold increase in viable cell population and 1.3-fold increase in cell specific growth rate. A 2.5-fold decrease in antibody titer and abatement of actin filament indicate cellular phenotypic drift. Mitochondrial membrane potential (∆ΨM) signified cell health and metabolic activity during LTC. Host cell protein production is reduced by 1.8-fold. Charge heterogeneity was perturbed with 12.5% and 43% reduction in abundance of acidic and basic charge variants respectively. Glycan profile indicated a decline in fucosylation with 17% increase in galactosylated species as compared with early passaged cells. CONCLUSION LTC impinges on cellular phenotype as well as the quality of the expressed antibody, suggesting a defined subculturing limit to retain stable protein expression and cell morphology to achieve consistent product quality. Study signifies the changes in cellular and metabolic markers, suggesting cellular and analytical toolbox which could play a significant role in defining cell characteristics and ensured product quality.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rajinder Kaur
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, India
| | - Ritu Jain
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, India
| | - Niharika Budholiya
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, India
| | - Anurag S Rathore
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, India.
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Lu Y, Lin J, Bian T, Chen J, Liu D, Ma M, Gao Z, Chen J, Ju D, Wang X. Risk control of host cell proteins in one therapeutic antibody produced by concentrated fed-batch (CFB) mode. Eng Life Sci 2023; 23:e2200060. [PMID: 36874608 PMCID: PMC9978904 DOI: 10.1002/elsc.202200060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Revised: 12/26/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Multiple control strategies, including a downstream purification process with well-controlled parameters and a comprehensive release or characterization for intermediates or drug substances, were implemented to mitigate the potential risk of host cell proteins (HCPs) in one concentrated fed-batch (CFB) mode manufactured product. A host cell process specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method was developed for the quantitation of HCPs. The method was fully validated and showed good performance including high antibody coverage. This was confirmed by 2D Gel-Western Blot analysis. Furthermore, a LC-MS/MS method with non-denaturing digestion and a long gradient chromatographic separation coupled with data dependent acquisition (DDA) on a Thermo/QE-HF-X mass spectrometer was developed as an orthogonal method to help identify the specific types of HCPs in this CFB product. Because of the high sensitivity, selectivity and adaptability of the new developed LC-MS/MS method, significantly more species of HCP contaminants were able to be identified. Even though high levels of HCPs were observed in the harvest bulk of this CFB product, the development of multiple processes and analytical control strategies may greatly mitigate potential risks and reduce HCPs contaminants to a very low level. No high-risk HCP was identified and the total amount of HCPs was very low in the CFB final product.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yiling Lu
- Department of Analytical ScienceFormulation & Quality Control, Genor Biopharma Co., Ltd.ShanghaiChina
| | - Jun Lin
- Department of Biological Medicines & Shanghai Engineering Research Center of ImmunotherapeuticsFudan University School of PharmacyShanghaiChina
- Department of Analytical ScienceFormulation & Quality Control, Genor Biopharma Co., Ltd.ShanghaiChina
| | - Tianze Bian
- Department of Analytical ScienceFormulation & Quality Control, Genor Biopharma Co., Ltd.ShanghaiChina
| | - Jin Chen
- Department of Analytical ScienceFormulation & Quality Control, Genor Biopharma Co., Ltd.ShanghaiChina
| | - Dan Liu
- Department of Analytical ScienceFormulation & Quality Control, Genor Biopharma Co., Ltd.ShanghaiChina
| | - Mingjun Ma
- Department of Analytical ScienceFormulation & Quality Control, Genor Biopharma Co., Ltd.ShanghaiChina
| | - Zhen Gao
- Department of Analytical ScienceFormulation & Quality Control, Genor Biopharma Co., Ltd.ShanghaiChina
| | - Jiemin Chen
- Department of Analytical ScienceFormulation & Quality Control, Genor Biopharma Co., Ltd.ShanghaiChina
| | - Dianwen Ju
- Department of Biological Medicines & Shanghai Engineering Research Center of ImmunotherapeuticsFudan University School of PharmacyShanghaiChina
| | - Xing Wang
- Array Bridge Inc.St. LouisMissouriUSA
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Seisenberger C, Graf T, Sticht S, Haindl M, Mohn U, Wegele H, Wiedmann M, Wohlrab S. The agony of choice: Impact of the host animal species on the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay performance for host cell protein quantification. Biotechnol Bioeng 2023; 120:184-193. [PMID: 36251621 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2022] [Revised: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Host cell proteins (HCPs) are inevitable process-related impurities in biotherapeutics commonly monitored by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). Of particular importance for their reliable detection are the anti-HCP polyclonal antibodies (pAbs), supposed to detect a broad range of HCPs. The present study focuses on the identification of suitable host animal species for the development of high-performance CHO-HCP ELISAs, assuming the generation of pAbs with adequate coverage and specificity. Hence, antibodies derived from immunization of sheep, goats, donkeys, rabbits, and chickens were compared concerning their amount of HCP-specific antibodies, coverage, and performance in a sandwich ELISA. Immunization of sheep, goats, donkeys, and rabbits met all test criteria, whereas the antibodies from chickens cannot be recommended based on the results of this study. Additionally, a mixture of antibodies from the five host species was prepared to assess if coverage and ELISA performance can be improved by a multispecies approach. Comparable results were obtained for the single- and multispecies ELISAs in different in-process samples, indicating no substantial improvement for the latter in ELISA performance while raising ethical and financial concerns.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Tobias Graf
- Pharma Technical Development Analytics, Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Penzberg, Germany
| | - Sarah Sticht
- Antibody and Protein Technologies, Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Penzberg, Germany
| | - Markus Haindl
- Gene and Cell Therapy Unit, Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Penzberg, Germany
| | - Ulrich Mohn
- Biotech Production, Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Penzberg, Germany
| | - Harald Wegele
- Pharma Technical Development Analytics, Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Penzberg, Germany
| | - Michael Wiedmann
- Pharma Technical Development Analytics, Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Penzberg, Germany
| | - Stefanie Wohlrab
- Pharma Technical Development Analytics, Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Penzberg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Waller JA, Zheng J, Dyer R, Slaney T, Wu W, Tao L, Ghose S. Ceramic hydroxyapatite chromatography plays a critical role in bispecific antibody purification process for impurity removal. Antib Ther 2023; 6:30-37. [PMID: 36683764 PMCID: PMC9847337 DOI: 10.1093/abt/tbac030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Revised: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 11/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Significant challenges exist in downstream purification of bispecific antibodies (BsAbs) due to the complexity of BsAb architecture. A unique panel of mispaired species can result in a higher level of product-related impurities. In addition to process-related impurities such as host cell proteins (HCPs) and residual DNA (resDNA), these product-related impurities must be separated from the targeted BsAb product to achieve high purity. Therefore, development of an efficient and robust chromatography purification process is essential to ensure the safety, quality, purity and efficacy of BsAb products that consequently meet regulatory requirements for clinical trials and commercialization. Methods We have developed a robust downstream BsAb process consisting of a mixed-mode ceramic hydroxyapatite (CHT) chromatography step, which offers unique separation capabilities tailored to BsAbs, and assessed impurity clearance. Results We demonstrate that the CHT chromatography column provides additional clearance of low molecular weight (LMW) and high molecular weight (HMW) species that cannot be separated by other chromatography columns such as ion exchange for a particular BsAb, resulting in ≥98% CE-SDS (non-reduced) purity. Moreover, through Polysorbate-80 (PS-80) spiking and LC-MS HCP assessments, we reveal complete clearance of potential PS-80-degrading HCP populations in the CHT eluate product pool. Conclusions In summary, these results demonstrate that CHT mixed-mode chromatography plays an important role in separation of product- and process-related impurities in the BsAb downstream process.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jessica A Waller
- Biologics Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Summit, NJ 07901 USA
| | - Ji Zheng
- Biologics Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Summit, NJ 07901 USA
| | - Rachel Dyer
- Biologics Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Devens, MA 01434 USA
| | - Thomas Slaney
- Biologics Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, New Brunswick, NJ 08901 USA
| | - Wei Wu
- Biologics Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, New Brunswick, NJ 08901 USA
| | - Li Tao
- Biologics Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, New Brunswick, NJ 08901 USA
| | - Sanchayita Ghose
- Biologics Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Devens, MA 01434 USA
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Blue LE, Guan X, Joubert MK, Kuhns ST, Moore S, Semin DJ, Wikström M, Wypych J, Goudar CT. State-of-the-art and emerging trends in analytical approaches to pharmaceutical-product commercialization. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2022; 78:102800. [PMID: 36182871 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2022.102800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2022] [Revised: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The biopharmaceutical landscape continues to evolve rapidly, and associated modality complexity and the need to improve molecular understanding require concomitant advances in analytical approaches used to characterize and release the product. The Product Quality Attribute Assessment (PQAA) and Quality Target Product Profile (QTPP) frameworks help catalog and translate molecular understanding to process and product-design targets, thereby enabling reliable manufacturing of high-quality product. The analytical target profile forms the basis of identifying best-fit analytical methods for attribute measurement and continues to be successfully used to develop robust analytical methods for detailed product characterization as well as release and stability testing. Despite maturity across multiple testing platforms, advances continue to be made, several with the potential to alter testing paradigms. There is an increasing role for mass spectrometry beyond product characterization and into routine release testing as seen by the progress in multi-attribute methods and technologies, applications to aggregate measurement, the development of capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) coupled with mass spectrometry (MS) and capillary isoelectric focusing (CIEF) with MS for measurement of glycans and charged species, respectively, and increased application to host cell protein measurement. Multitarget engaging multispecific modalities will drive advances in bioassay platforms and recent advances both in 1- and 2-D NMR approaches could make it the method of choice for characterizing higher-order structures. Additionally, rigorous understanding of raw material and container attributes is necessary to complement product understanding, and these collectively can enable robust supply of high-quality product to patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura E Blue
- Attribute Sciences, Process Development, Amgen Inc., One Amgen Center Drive, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320, USA
| | - Xiaoyan Guan
- Attribute Sciences, Process Development, Amgen Inc., One Amgen Center Drive, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320, USA
| | - Marisa K Joubert
- Attribute Sciences, Process Development, Amgen Inc., One Amgen Center Drive, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320, USA
| | - Scott T Kuhns
- Attribute Sciences, Process Development, Amgen Inc., One Amgen Center Drive, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320, USA
| | - Stephanie Moore
- Attribute Sciences, Process Development, Amgen Inc., One Amgen Center Drive, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320, USA
| | - David J Semin
- Attribute Sciences, Process Development, Amgen Inc., One Amgen Center Drive, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320, USA
| | - Mats Wikström
- Attribute Sciences, Process Development, Amgen Inc., One Amgen Center Drive, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320, USA
| | - Jette Wypych
- Attribute Sciences, Process Development, Amgen Inc., One Amgen Center Drive, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320, USA
| | - Chetan T Goudar
- Attribute Sciences, Process Development, Amgen Inc., One Amgen Center Drive, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Beck A, Nowak C, Meshulam D, Reynolds K, Chen D, Pacardo DB, Nicholls SB, Carven GJ, Gu Z, Fang J, Wang D, Katiyar A, Xiang T, Liu H. Risk-Based Control Strategies of Recombinant Monoclonal Antibody Charge Variants. Antibodies (Basel) 2022; 11:73. [PMID: 36412839 PMCID: PMC9703962 DOI: 10.3390/antib11040073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Revised: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Since the first approval of the anti-CD3 recombinant monoclonal antibody (mAb), muromonab-CD3, a mouse antibody for the prevention of transplant rejection, by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1986, mAb therapeutics have become increasingly important to medical care. A wealth of information about mAbs regarding their structure, stability, post-translation modifications, and the relationship between modification and function has been reported. Yet, substantial resources are still required throughout development and commercialization to have appropriate control strategies to maintain consistent product quality, safety, and efficacy. A typical feature of mAbs is charge heterogeneity, which stems from a variety of modifications, including modifications that are common to many mAbs or unique to a specific molecule or process. Charge heterogeneity is highly sensitive to process changes and thus a good indicator of a robust process. It is a high-risk quality attribute that could potentially fail the specification and comparability required for batch disposition. Failure to meet product specifications or comparability can substantially affect clinical development timelines. To mitigate these risks, the general rule is to maintain a comparable charge profile when process changes are inevitably introduced during development and even after commercialization. Otherwise, new peaks or varied levels of acidic and basic species must be justified based on scientific knowledge and clinical experience for a specific molecule. Here, we summarize the current understanding of mAb charge variants and outline risk-based control strategies to support process development and ultimately commercialization.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alain Beck
- Centre d’Immunologie Pierre-Fabre (CIPF), 5 Avenue Napoléon III, 74160 Saint-Julien-en-Genevois, France
| | - Christine Nowak
- Protein Characterization, Alexion AstraZeneca Rare Disease, 100 College St., New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Deborah Meshulam
- Technical Operations/CMC, Scholar Rock, 301 Binney Street, 3rd Floor, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Kristina Reynolds
- Technical Operations/CMC, Scholar Rock, 301 Binney Street, 3rd Floor, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - David Chen
- Technical Operations/CMC, Scholar Rock, 301 Binney Street, 3rd Floor, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Dennis B. Pacardo
- Technical Operations/CMC, Scholar Rock, 301 Binney Street, 3rd Floor, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Samantha B. Nicholls
- Protein Sciences, Scholar Rock, 301 Binney Street, 3rd Floor, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Gregory J. Carven
- Research, Scholar Rock, 301 Binney Street, 3rd Floor, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Zhenyu Gu
- Jasper Therapeutics, Inc., 2200 Bridge Pkwy Suite 102, Redwood City, CA 94065, USA
| | - Jing Fang
- Biological Drug Discovery, Biogen, 225 Binney St., Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Dongdong Wang
- Global Biologics, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, 300 Shire Way, Lexington, MA 02421, USA
| | - Amit Katiyar
- CMC Technical Operations, Magenta Therapeutics, 100 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Tao Xiang
- Downstream Process and Analytical Development, Boston Institute of Biotechnology, 225 Turnpike Rd., Southborough, MA 01772, USA
| | - Hongcheng Liu
- Technical Operations/CMC, Scholar Rock, 301 Binney Street, 3rd Floor, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Zhang S, Xiao H, Li N. Ultrasensitive method for profiling host cell proteins by coupling limited digestion to ProteoMiner technology. Anal Biochem 2022; 657:114901. [PMID: 36130653 DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2022.114901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2022] [Revised: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Host cell proteins (HCPs) are process-related impurities that remain in therapeutic protein -at trace levels. HCPs must be closely monitored because they may be detrimental to drug product quality. Liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS) is a powerful tool for detecting individual HCPs; however, HCP-derived peptides can be four to ten orders of magnitude less abundant than therapeutic protein-derived peptides in drug products, thus posing a major challenge in LC-MS detection. We previously demonstrated that low abundant HCPs can be enriched several hundreds fold through ProteoMiner. This study further improved the degree of enrichment by coupling limited digestion to ProteoMiner technology (PMLD). HCPs with low abundance were enriched 7694-fold, thus enabling detection of HCPs at concentrations as low as 0.002 ppm. A total of 850 HCPs were detected with high confidence from a NIST monoclonal antibody preparation, a number 40% higher than previously reported.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sisi Zhang
- Analytical Chemistry, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, NY, 10591-6706, United States
| | - Hui Xiao
- Analytical Chemistry, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, NY, 10591-6706, United States.
| | - Ning Li
- Analytical Chemistry, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, NY, 10591-6706, United States
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Zhao B, Abdubek P, Zhang S, Xiao H, Li N. Analysis of Host Cell Proteins in Monoclonal Antibody Therapeutics Through Size Exclusion Chromatography. Pharm Res 2022; 39:3029-3037. [PMID: 36071355 DOI: 10.1007/s11095-022-03381-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Host cell proteins (HCPs) are impurities derived from expression systems during the manufacturing of biotherapeutics. Even trace amounts of certain HCPs can potentially compromise product safety and quality. Therefore, comprehensive analytical characterization is necessary. In particular, understanding how each HCP co-purifies with the biotherapeutics throughout the purification process would help guide process development to avoid further contamination. METHODS We developed a new strategy based on size exclusion chromatography (SEC) fractionation followed by mass spectrometry (MS) analysis to study HCPs. RESULTS Through an optimized experimental procedure, HCPs were effectively separated from monoclonal antibody (mAb) drug substances via SEC fractionation and sensitively detected with MS. Many HCPs were enriched in the high molecular weight fraction, thus indicating the formation of HCP-mAb complexes. SEC separation under mild denaturing conditions was demonstrated to disrupt weak interactions between certain HCPs and mAbs. The binding profiles of HCPs to mAbs were further characterized through comparison of the relative abundance of HCPs in each fraction under either native or mild denaturing SEC conditions. CONCLUSIONS This new method not only achieves improved identification of HCPs in biotherapeutic drug substances but also offers an effective means to evaluate the binding properties between biotherapeutics and a wide range of HCPs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bo Zhao
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, New York, 10591-6706, USA
| | - Polat Abdubek
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, New York, 10591-6706, USA
| | - Sisi Zhang
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, New York, 10591-6706, USA
| | - Hui Xiao
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, New York, 10591-6706, USA.
| | - Ning Li
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, New York, 10591-6706, USA
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Two major mechanisms contributing to copurification of CHO host cell proteins and strategies to minimize their negative impact. Protein Expr Purif 2022; 197:106113. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pep.2022.106113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2022] [Revised: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
|
42
|
Krutzke L, Rösler R, Allmendinger E, Engler T, Wiese S, Kochanek S. Process- and product-related impurities in the ChAdOx1 nCov-19 vaccine. eLife 2022; 11:78513. [PMID: 35781137 PMCID: PMC9313527 DOI: 10.7554/elife.78513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
ChAdOx1 nCov-19 and Ad26.COV2.S are approved vaccines inducing protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2 infection in humans by expressing the Spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. We analyzed protein content and protein composition of ChAdOx1 nCov-19 and Ad26.COV2.S by biochemical methods and by mass spectrometry. Four out of four tested lots of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 contained significantly higher than expected levels of host cell proteins (HCPs) and of free viral proteins. The most abundant contaminating HCPs belonged to the heat-shock protein and cytoskeletal protein families. The HCP content exceeded the 400 ng specification limit per vaccine dose, as set by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for this vaccine, by at least 25-fold and the manufacturer’s batch-release data in some of the lots by several hundred-fold. In contrast, three tested lots of the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine contained only very low amounts of HCPs. As shown for Ad26.COV2.S production of clinical grade adenovirus vaccines of high purity is feasible at an industrial scale. Correspondingly, purification procedures of the ChAdOx1 nCov-19 vaccine should be modified to remove protein impurities as good as possible. Our data also indicate that standard quality assays, as they are used in the manufacturing of proteins, have to be adapted for vectored vaccines.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lea Krutzke
- Department of Gene Therapy, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Reinhild Rösler
- Core Unit Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | | | - Tatjana Engler
- Department of Gene Therapy, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Sebastian Wiese
- Core Unit Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | | |
Collapse
|
43
|
Keulen D, Geldhof G, Bussy OL, Pabst M, Ottens M. Recent advances to accelerate purification process development: a review with a focus on vaccines. J Chromatogr A 2022; 1676:463195. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2022.463195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2022] [Revised: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
|
44
|
Hamaker NK, Min L, Lee KH. Comprehensive Assessment of Host Cell Protein Expression after Extended Culture and Bioreactor Production of CHO Cell Lines. Biotechnol Bioeng 2022; 119:2221-2238. [PMID: 35508759 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2021] [Revised: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
The biomanufacturing industry is advancing toward continuous processes that will involve longer culture durations and older cell ages. These upstream trends may bring unforeseen challenges for downstream purification due to fluctuations in host cell protein (HCP) levels. To understand the extent of HCP expression instability exhibited by Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells over these time scales, an industry-wide consortium collaborated to develop a study to characterize age-dependent changes in HCP levels across 30, 60, and 90 cell doublings, representing a period of approximately 60 days. A monoclonal antibody (mAb)-producing cell line with bulk productivity up to 3 g/L in a bioreactor was aged in parallel with its parental CHO-K1 host. Subsequently, both cell types at each age were cultivated in an automated bioreactor system to generate harvested cell culture fluid (HCCF) for HCP analysis. More than 1,500 HCPs were quantified using complementary proteomic techniques, two-dimensional electrophoresis (2DE) and liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). While up to 13% of proteins showed variable expression with age, more changes were observed when comparing between the two cell lines with up to 47% of HCPs differentially expressed. A small subset (50 HCPs) with age-dependent expression were previously reported to be problematic as high-risk and/or difficult-to-remove impurities; however, the vast majority of these were down-regulated with age. Our findings suggest that HCP expression changes over this time scale may not be as dramatic and pose as great of a challenge to downstream processing as originally expected but that monitoring of variably expressed problematic HCPs remains critical. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nathaniel K Hamaker
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware
| | - Lie Min
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware
| | - Kelvin H Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
The potential of emerging sub-omics technologies for CHO cell engineering. Biotechnol Adv 2022; 59:107978. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2022.107978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Revised: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
|
46
|
Wang F, Li X, Swanson M, Guetschow E, Winston M, Smith JP, Hoyt E, Liu Z, Richardson D, Bu X, Jawa V, Variankaval N. Holistic Analytical Characterization and Risk Assessment of Residual Host Cell Protein Impurities in an Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) Synthesized by Biocatalysts. Biotechnol Bioeng 2022; 119:2088-2104. [PMID: 35437754 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Revised: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Host cell proteins (HCPs) are a significant class of process-related impurities commonly associated with the manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals. However, due to the increased use of crude enzymes as biocatalysts for modern organic synthesis, HCPs can also be introduced as a new class of impurities in chemical drugs. In both cases, residual HCPs need to be adequately controlled to ensure product purity, quality, and patient safety. Although a lot of attentions have been focused on defining a universally acceptable limit for such impurities, the risks associated with residual HCPs on product quality, safety, and efficacy often need to be determined on a case-by-case basis taking into consideration the residual HCP profile in the product, the dose, dosage form, and administration route etc. Here we describe the unique challenges for residual HCP control presented by the biocatalytic synthesis of a Merck investigational stimulator of interferon genes protein (STING) agonist, MK-1454, which is a cyclic dinucleotide synthesized using E. coli cell lysate overexpressing cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) as a biocatalyst. In this study, a holistic characterization of residual protein impurities using a variety of analytical tools including nano-LC-MS/MS, together with in silico immunogenicity prediction of identified proteins, facilitated risk assessment and guided process development to achieve adequate removal of residual protein impurities in MK-1454 API. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fengqiang Wang
- Small Molecular Analytical Research & Development, Rahway, NJ.,Biologics Analytical Research & Development, Kenilworth, NJ
| | - Xuanwen Li
- Analytical Enabling Technologies, Analytical Research & Development, Kenilworth, NJ
| | - Michael Swanson
- Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics & Drug Metabolism (PPDM), West Point, PA
| | - Erik Guetschow
- Small Molecular Analytical Research & Development, Rahway, NJ
| | | | - Joseph P Smith
- Analytical Enabling Technologies, Analytical Research & Development, Kenilworth, NJ
| | - Erik Hoyt
- Small Molecular Analytical Research & Development, Rahway, NJ
| | - Zhijian Liu
- Small Molecular Process Research & Development, Rahway, NJ
| | - Douglas Richardson
- Analytical Enabling Technologies, Analytical Research & Development, Kenilworth, NJ
| | - Xiaodong Bu
- Small Molecular Analytical Research & Development, Rahway, NJ
| | - Vibha Jawa
- Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics & Drug Metabolism (PPDM), West Point, PA
| | | |
Collapse
|
47
|
Sripada SA, Chu W, Williams TI, Teten MA, Mosley BJ, Carbonell RG, Lenhoff AM, Cramer SM, Bill J, Yigzaw Y, Roush D, Menegatti S. Towards continuous mAb purification: clearance of host cell proteins from CHO cell culture harvests via "flow-through affinity chromatography" using peptide-based adsorbents. Biotechnol Bioeng 2022; 119:1873-1889. [PMID: 35377460 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2021] [Revised: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
The growth of advanced analytics in manufacturing monoclonal antibodies (mAb) has highlighted the challenges associated with the clearance of host cell proteins (HCPs). Of special concern is the removal of "persistent" HCPs, including immunogenic and mAb-degrading proteins, that co-elute from the Protein A resin and can escape the polishing steps. Responding to this challenge, we introduced an ensemble of peptide ligands that target the HCPs in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell culture fluids and enable mAb purification via flow-through affinity chromatography. This work describes their integration into LigaGuardTM, an affinity adsorbent featuring an equilibrium binding capacity of ~30 mg of HCPs per mL of resin as well as dynamic capacities up to 16 and 22 mg/mL at 1- and 2-minute residence times, respectively. When evaluated against cell culture harvests with different mAb and HCP titers and properties, LigaGuardTM afforded high HCP clearance, with logarithmic removal values (LRVs) up to 1.5, and mAb yield above 90%. Proteomic analysis of the effluents confirmed the removal of high-risk HCPs, including cathepsins, histones, glutathione-S transferase, and lipoprotein lipases. Finally, combining LigaGuardTM for HCP removal with affinity adsorbents for product capture afforded a global mAb yield of 85%, and HCP and DNA LRVs > 4. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sobhana A Sripada
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, 911 Partners Way, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA
| | - Wenning Chu
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, 911 Partners Way, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA
| | - Taufika Islam Williams
- Molecular Education, Technology, and Research Innovation Center (METRIC), North Carolina State University, 2620 Yarbrough Dr., Raleigh, NC, 27607, USA.,Department of Chemistry, North Carolina State University, 2620 Yarbrough Drive, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA
| | - Matthew A Teten
- Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC), North Carolina State University, 850 Oval Dr, Raleigh, NC, 27606, USA
| | - Brian J Mosley
- Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC), North Carolina State University, 850 Oval Dr, Raleigh, NC, 27606, USA
| | - Ruben G Carbonell
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, 911 Partners Way, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA.,Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC), North Carolina State University, 850 Oval Dr, Raleigh, NC, 27606, USA
| | - Abraham M Lenhoff
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, 150 Academy Street Colburn Laboratory Newark, DE, 19716, USA
| | - Steven M Cramer
- The Howard P. Isermann Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 110 8th St, Troy, NY, 12180, USA
| | - Jerome Bill
- Genentech, 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | - Yinges Yigzaw
- Genentech, 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | - David Roush
- Merck & Co., 2000 Galloping Hill Rd, Kenilworth, NJ, 07033, USA
| | - Stefano Menegatti
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, 911 Partners Way, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA.,Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC), North Carolina State University, 850 Oval Dr, Raleigh, NC, 27606, USA
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Seisenberger C, Graf T, Haindl M, Wegele H, Wiedmann M, Wohlrab S. Toward optimal clearance - A universal affinity based mass spectrometry approach for comprehensive ELISA reagent coverage evaluation and HCP hitchhiker analysis. Biotechnol Prog 2022; 38:e3244. [PMID: 35150475 DOI: 10.1002/btpr.3244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Revised: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
In the control strategy for process related impurities in biopharmaceuticals the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is the method of choice for the quantification of host cell proteins (HCP). Besides two dimensional - western blots (2D-WB), the coverage of ELISA antibodies is increasingly evaluated by affinity purification based liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (AP-MS) methods. However, all these methods face the problem of unspecific binding issues between antibodies and the matrix, involving the application of arbitrarily defined thresholds during data evaluation. To solve this, a new approach (optimized AP-MS) was developed in this study, for which a cleavable linker was conjugated to the ELISA antibodies enabling the subsequent isolation of specifically interacting HCPs. By comparing both approaches in terms of method variability and the number of false positive or negative hits, we could demonstrate that the optimized AP-MS method is very reproducible and superior in the identification of antibody detection gaps, while previously described strategies suffered from over- or underestimating the coverage. As only antibody associated HCPs were identified, we demonstrated that the method is beneficial for hitchhiker analysis. Overall, the method described herein has proven as a powerful tool for reliable coverage determination of ELISA antibodies, without the need to arbitrarily exclude HCPs during the coverage evaluation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Tobias Graf
- Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Nonnenwald 2, Penzberg, Germany
| | - Markus Haindl
- Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Nonnenwald 2, Penzberg, Germany
| | - Harald Wegele
- Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Nonnenwald 2, Penzberg, Germany
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
49
|
Li X, Wang F, Li H, Richardson DD, Roush DJ. The measurement and control of high-risk host cell proteins for polysorbate degradation in biologics formulation. Antib Ther 2022; 5:42-54. [PMID: 35155990 PMCID: PMC8826928 DOI: 10.1093/abt/tbac002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2021] [Revised: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Nonionic surfactant polysorbates, including PS-80 and PS-20, are commonly used in the formulation of biotherapeutic products for both preventing surface adsorption and acting as stabilizer against protein aggregation. Trace levels of residual host cell proteins (HCPs) with lipase or esterase enzymatic activity have been shown to degrade polysorbates in biologics formulation. The measurement and control of these low abundance, high-risk HCPs for polysorbate degradation are an industry-wide challenge to achieve desired shelf life of biopharmaceuticals in liquid formulation, especially for high-concentration formulation product development. Here, we reviewed the challenges, recent advances, and future opportunities of analytical method development, risk assessment, and control strategies for polysorbate degradation during formulation development with a focus on enzymatic degradation. Continued efforts to advance our understanding of polysorbate degradation in biologics formulation will help develop high-quality medicines for patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xuanwen Li
- Analytical Research & Development, Merck & Co., Inc., 2000 Galloping Hill Road, Kenilworth, NJ 07033, USA
- To whom correspondence should be addressed: Xuanwen Li, Analytical Research & Development Mass Spectrometry, Merck & Co. Inc., 770 Sumneytown Pike, WPP042A-4015, West Point, PA 19486. Tel: 215-652-1829;
| | - Fengqiang Wang
- Analytical Research & Development, Merck & Co., Inc., 2000 Galloping Hill Road, Kenilworth, NJ 07033, USA
| | - Hong Li
- Biologics Process Research & Development, Merck & Co., Inc., 2000 Galloping Hill Road, Kenilworth, NJ 07033, USA
| | - Douglas D Richardson
- Analytical Research & Development, Merck & Co., Inc., 2000 Galloping Hill Road, Kenilworth, NJ 07033, USA
| | - David J Roush
- Biologics Process Research & Development, Merck & Co., Inc., 2000 Galloping Hill Road, Kenilworth, NJ 07033, USA
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
Hecht ES, Mehta S, Wecksler AT, Aguilar B, Swanson N, Phung W, Dubey Kelsoe A, Benner WH, Tesar D, Kelley RF, Sandoval W, Sreedhara A. Insights into ultra-low affinity lipase-antibody noncovalent complex binding mechanisms. MAbs 2022; 14:2135183. [PMID: 36284469 PMCID: PMC9621051 DOI: 10.1080/19420862.2022.2135183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Detection of host cell protein (HCP) impurities is critical to ensuring that recombinant drug products, including monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), are safe. Mechanistic characterization as to how HCPs persist in drug products is important to refining downstream processing. It has been hypothesized that weak lipase-mAb interactions enable HCP lipases to evade drug purification processes. Here, we apply state-of-the-art methods to establish lipase-mAb binding mechanisms. First, the mass spectrometry (MS) approach of fast photochemical oxidation of proteins was used to elucidate putative binding regions. The CH1 domain was identified as a conserved interaction site for IgG1 and IgG4 mAbs against the HCPs phospholipase B-like protein (PLBL2) and lysosomal phospholipase A2 (LPLA2). Rationally designed mutations in the CH1 domain of the IgG4 mAb caused a 3- to 70-fold KD reduction against PLBL2 by surface plasmon resonance (SPR). LPLA2-IgG4 mutant complexes, undetected by SPR and studied using native MS collisional dissociation experiments, also showed significant complex disruption, from 16% to 100%. Native MS and ion mobility (IM) determined complex stoichiometries for four lipase-IgG4 complexes and directly interrogated the enrichment of specific lipase glycoforms. Confirmed with time-course and exoglycosidase experiments, deglycosylated lipases prevented binding, and low-molecular-weight glycoforms promoted binding, to mAbs. This work demonstrates the value of integrated biophysical approaches to characterize micromolar affinity complexes. It is the first in-depth structural report of lipase-mAb binding, finding roles for the CH1 domain and lipase glycosylation in mediating binding. The structural insights gained offer new approaches for the bioengineering of cells or mAbs to reduce HCP impurity levels.Abbreviations: CAN, Acetonitrile; AMAC, Ammonium acetate; BFGS, Broyden-Fletcher-Goldfarb-Shanno; CHO, Chinese Hamster Ovary; KD, Dissociation constant; DTT, Dithiothreitol; ELISA, Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; FPOP, Fast photochemical oxidation of proteins; FA, Formic acid; F(ab'), Fragment antibodies; HCP, Host cell protein; IgG, Immunoglobulin; IM, Ion mobility; LOD, Lower limit of detection; LPLA2, Lysosomal phospholipase A2; Man, Mannose; MS, Mass spectrometry; MeOH, Methanol; MST, Microscale thermophoresis; mAbs, Monoclonal antibodies; PPT1, Palmitoyl protein thioesterase; ppm, Parts per million; PLBL2, Phospholipase B-like protein; PLD3, Phospholipase D3; PS-20, Polysorbate-20; SP, Sphingomyelin phosphodiesterase; SPR, Surface plasmon resonance; TFA, Trifluoroacetic acid.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Sara Hecht
- Microchemistry, Proteomics, and Lipidomics, Genentech, IncSouth San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Shrenik Mehta
- Pharmaceutical Development, Genentech, IncSouth San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Aaron T. Wecksler
- Protein Analytical Chemistry, Genentech, IncSouth San Francisco, CA, USA
| | | | - Nathaniel Swanson
- Pharmaceutical Development, Genentech, IncSouth San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Wilson Phung
- Microchemistry, Proteomics, and Lipidomics, Genentech, IncSouth San Francisco, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Devin Tesar
- Pharmaceutical Development, Genentech, IncSouth San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Robert F. Kelley
- Pharmaceutical Development, Genentech, IncSouth San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Wendy Sandoval
- Microchemistry, Proteomics, and Lipidomics, Genentech, IncSouth San Francisco, CA, USA,CONTACT Wendy Sandoval Microchemistry, Proteomics, and Lipidomics, Genentech, Inc South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Alavattam Sreedhara
- Pharmaceutical Development, Genentech, IncSouth San Francisco, CA, USA,Alavattam Sreedhara Pharmaceutical Development, Genentech, Inc, 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, CA94080, USA
| |
Collapse
|